Quick Start Guide to Authoring Pages

This document is intended as a high-level quick start guide for the key page authoring actions in AEM. This document:

• Is not intended as comprehensive coverage.
• Provides links to the detailed documentation.

For full details about authoring with AEM see:

• Concepts of Authoring
• Basic Handling

For authoring AEM content for Edge Delivery Services, click here.

A Few Quick Hints

Before beginning the quick start guide, here is a small collection of general tips and hints that you should bear in mind, divided between areas of the authoring system.

In the Sites Console

• Create Button

  • This button is available in many consoles - the options presented are context sensitive so can vary according to the scenario.

• Re-ordering Pages

  • This can be done in List View. The changes are applied and visible in other views.

Page Authoring

• Navigating Links

  • Links are not available for navigation when you are in Edit mode. To navigate with links you need to preview the page using either:

    • Preview Mode
    • View as Published

• Versions are not started/created from the page editor. This is now done from the Sites console (via either Create or Timeline for a selected resource).

Finding Your Page

There are various aspects to finding a page; you can navigate and/or search:

1. Open the Sites console (using the Sites option in the Global Navigation - this is triggered (drop-down) when you select the Adobe Experience Manager link (top left).

2. Navigate down the tree by tapping/clicking on the appropriate page. How the page resources are represented depends on the view you are using - Card, List, or Column:

   

3. Navigate up the tree using the breadcrumb in the header, which lets you return to the selected location:

   

4. You can also Search for a page. You can select your page from the results shown.

   

Creating a New Page

To create a new page:

1. Navigate to the location where you want to create the new page.

2. Use the Create icon and then select Page from the list:

   

3. This opens the wizard that will guide you through collecting the information needed when creating your new page. Follow the on screen instructions.

Selecting Your Page for Further Action

You can select a page so that you can take action on it. Selecting a page will automatically update the toolbar so that the actions relevant to that resource are shown.

How to select a page depends on which view you are using in the console:

1. Column View:

   • Tap/click on the thumbnail for the required resource - the thumbnail is overlaid with a tick to show that it has been selected.

2. List View:

   • Tap/click on the thumbnail for the required resource - the thumbnail is overlaid with a tick to show that it has been selected.

3. Card View:

   • Enter selection mode by selecting the required resource. How you do this depends on your device:

     • On a mobile device: tap-and-hold the card
     • On a desktop device: use the quick action represented by the tick icon:

   • The card is overlaid with a tick to show that the page has been selected.

   

Quick Actions (Card View/Desktop Only)

Quick actions are available:

1. Navigate to the page you want to take action on.

2. Hover your mouse pointer over the card that represents your required resource. The quick actions are shown:

   

Editing Your Page Content

To edit your page:

1. Navigate to the page you want to edit.

2. Open your page for editing using the Edit (pencil) icon:

   

   This can be accessed from either:

   • Quick Actions (card view/desktop only) for the appropriate resource.
   • The toolbar when your page has been selected.

3. When the editor opens you can:

   • Add a new component to your page by:

     • Opening the side panel
     • Selecting the components tab (the components browser)
     • Dragging the required component onto your page.

     The side panel can be opened (and closed) with:

     

   • Edit the content of an existing component on the page:

     • Open the component toolbar with either tap or click. Use the Edit (pencil) icon to open the dialog.

     • Open the in place editor for the component with either tap-and-hold or a double-slow-click. The available actions are shown (for some components, it is a limited selection).

     • To see all actions available enter full-screen mode using:

       

   • Configure the properties of an existing component

     • Open the component toolbar with either tap or click. Use the Configure (wrench) icon to open the dialog.

   • Move a component either:

     • Drag the required component to its new location.
     • Open the component toolbar with either tap or click. Use the Cut then Paste icons where required.

   • Copy (and Paste) a component:

     • Open the component toolbar with either tap or click. Use the Copy then Paste icons as required.
   NOTE

   You can Paste components to either the same page, or a different page. If pasting to a different page that was already open before the cut/copy operation, then that page will need a page refresh.

   • Delete a component:

     • Open the component toolbar with either tap or click, then use the Delete icon.

   • Add annotations to the page:

     • Select the Annotate mode (speech bubble icon). Add annotations using the Add annotation (plus) icon. Exit annotation mode using the X at top right.

       

   • Preview a page (to see how it will appear in the publish environment)

     • Select Preview from the toolbar.

   • Return to edit mode (or select another mode) using the Edit drop-down selector.

   NOTE

   To navigate using links in the content you must use Preview mode.

Editing the Page Properties

There are two (main) methods of editing page properties:

• From the Sites console:

  1. Navigate to the page you want to publish.

  2. Select the Properties icon from either:

     • Quick Actions (Card View/Desktop Only) for the appropriate resource.
     • The toolbar when your page has been selected.

     

  3. The page properties are shown. You can make updates as required, then use Save to persist these

• When editing your page:

  1. Open the Page Information menu.

  2. Select Open Properties to open the dialog for editing the properties.

     

Publishing Your Page (or Unpublishing)

There are two main methods of publishing your page (and also of unpublishing):

• From the Sites console:

  1. Navigate to the page you want to publish.

  2. Select the Quick Publish icon from either:

     • Quick Actions (Card View/Desktop Only) for the appropriate resource.
     • The toolbar when your page has been selected (also gives access to Publish Later).

     

• When editing your page:

  1. Open the Page Information menu.
  2. Select Publish Page.

• Unpublishing a page from the console can only be done via the Manage Publication option, which is only available on the toolbar (not via the quick actions).

  

  The Unpublish Page option is still available via the Page Information menu in the editor.

  See Publishing Pages for more information.

Move, Copy and Paste, or Delete Your Page

These actions can all be triggered by:

1. Navigate to the page you want to move, copy and paste, or delete.

2. Select the copy (and then paste), move or delete icon as required using either:

   • Quick Actions (Card View/Desktop Only) for the required resource.
   • The toolbar when your page has been selected.

   Then, dependent on your action:

   • Copy:

     • You will then need to navigate to the new location and paste.

   • Move:

     • The wizard will open to collect the information needed to move the page. Follow the on-screen instructions.

   • Delete:

     • You are asked to confirm the action.
   NOTE

   Delete is not available as a Quick Action.

Locking Your Page (then Unlocking)

Locking a page prevents other authors from working on it while you are. The Lock (and Unlock) icon/button can be found:

• The toolbar when your page has been selected.
• The Page Information drop-down menu when editing a page.
• The page toolbar when editing a page (when the page is locked)

For example, the lock icon looks like this:

Accessing Page References

Quick access to references to/from a page are available in the References Rail.

1. Select References using the toolbar icon (either before or after selecting your page):

   

   A list of reference types is shown:

   

2. Tap/click on the required type of reference to show more details and (when appropriate) take further actions.

Creating a Version of Your Page

To create a version of your page:

1. To open the Timeline rail, select Timeline using the toolbar icon (either before or after selecting your page):

   

2. Tap/click on the ellipsis at the bottom right of the Timeline column to reveal extra buttons, including Save as Version.

   

3. Select Save as Version, then Create.

Restoring/Comparing a Version of Your Page

The same basic mechanism is used when restoring and/or comparing versions of your page:

1. Select Timeline using the toolbar icon (either before or after selecting your page):

   

   If a version of your page has already been saved, it is listed in the Timeline.

2. Tap/click on the version you want to restore - this will reveal additional action buttons:

   • Revert to this Version

     • The version is restored.

   • Show Differences

     • The page is opened with differences (between the two versions) highlighted.

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